At the moment the castle gate exploded, the Snow Ninjas inside immediately reacted, realizing that enemies were attacking the castle.
After a brief panic, they quickly calmed down.
Their confidence stemmed from the Chakra Armor they wore, which the Land of Snow spent years developing, a type of armor-like ninja tool.
When wearing this armor, a Chakra Shield is generated to defend against any physical attacks. It can also absorb the enemy's chakra, providing it to the armor user, and wings can unfold on the back, allowing them to soar through the sky freely.
Against ninjas of the same level, they hold an overwhelming advantage.
Even against more powerful ninjas, they can rely on the Chakra Armor to fight and win.
Thus, upon recognizing the enemy's invasion of the castle, they immediately headed to the site of the gate explosion, to ambush the enemy there, letting these reckless invaders witness the power of the Snow Chakra Armor.
Hakushi did not intend to avoid these Snow Ninjas; before the attack, he had already understood the ninja forces of the Land of Snow well. Although the Chakra Armor was troublesome, that was only for ordinary ninjas.
After only a few steps on the snow-covered path, a large number of Snow Ninjas wearing Chakra Armor came rushing from afar.
Upon seeing Hakushi's group, the enemy's numbers exceeded their expectations, and wearing black coats, it was unclear which country's ninjas they were from. But the two leading figures gave them an ominous premonition, fearing it would be a hard-fought battle of equals.
The leading Snow Ninja waved a hand, directly ordering an attack.
The Chakra Armor on the Snow Ninjas emitted white frost, their figures gliding quickly across the snow, charging at Hakushi and his companions at an astonishing speed, sending snowflakes dancing in the air.
The Ninjas of the Land of Demons behind Hakushi and Ayane did not hesitate, launching an attack against the group of Snow Ninjas.
Even though these Snow Ninjas wore Chakra Armors, their danger level was low. Based on information Hakushi gathered, the functionality of the lower-level Snow Ninja's Chakra Armor was poor. These individuals served as suitable practice targets for the Ninjas of the Land of Demons.
"Let's go."
Hakushi took the lead in paving the way forward.
The Snow Ninjas were already intercepted; next, they just needed to find Kazahana Doto.
Having witnessed the gate explosion, Sandayu no longer doubted the prowess of the Ninjas from the Land of Demons.
Indeed, when facing the Snow Ninjas, the ninja squad from the Land of Demons gained the upper hand.
Although the Snow Ninjas wore Chakra Armor, their means of countering were too limited, and their attack modes were rigid, making it exceedingly simple to see through their movement trajectories. The ninja squad brought by Hakushi, composed of those skilled in ninja techniques, illusion techniques, and taijutsu, worked together with seamless cooperation, their tactics flexible and varied. Combined with intelligence advantages, if they could not seize the advantage, Hakushi would truly question whether these individuals were slacking off during training.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The enormous fireball hit the shield generated by the Chakra Armor, bursting it open immediately.
Just as the intelligence indicated, the quality of the lower-level Snow Ninja's Chakra Armor was concerning; it could only ignore light projectile ninja tools like kunai and shuriken. When faced with powerful Fire Style Jutsus, it was evidently inadequate.
Crack!
The Taijutsu Ninja advanced, a powerful burst of chakra erupting from within, shattering the core gem on the Chakra Armor, then spinning the body forcefully, delivering a spinning kick to the chest of the Snow Ninja.
The Snow Ninja was knocked back, sliding a long distance across the snow before finally coming to a stop, lying there unconscious.
The Taijutsu Ninja engaged in the front, creating opportunities for attack.
Ninja Techniques and Genjutsu ninjas interfered from the sides, creating opportunities for the Taijutsu Ninja to strike, causing the Snow Ninjas significant trouble.
Although there were some Snow Ninjas capable of using Ice Style, taking advantage of the weather in the Land of Snow, their power was insufficient to pose a threat, or they were easily blocked.
Their every move was watched by the Perception Ninjas within the Ninja squad from the Land of Demons. Whenever there was an unusual change in their chakra, the Perception Ninjas would have the nearby Ninja Techniques user use jutsu to counter the enemy's Ice Style.
If it weren't for this being the first real combat for these Ninjas from the Land of Demons, where there were still some flaws in their coordination, the results would look better in Hakushi's opinion.
Overall, this combat 'exam' barely passed.
For new recruits, it wasn't too bad.
There would be many opportunities to hone their skills in the future, no need to rush.
Standing before the palace gates of the castle, a Shadow Blade in the form of a substantial black shadow emerged from Hakushi's shadow at his feet, extended through the gap of the door towards the inside.
With a click.
The lock on the inside of the door was unlocked by the Shadow Dancer's Shadow Blade.
The palace gates opened on their own, with no one to push them, revealing a dimly lit interior illuminated only by candlelight along the way.
"Ice Style: White Horned Whale!"
As the gates opened, an icy, murderous voice spread through the air.
A massive white whale rose from the dark, icy ground, its body made of solid ice. As it pressed down, a human body would undoubtedly be crushed into paste.
The power of this Ninja Technique was worlds apart from those Snow Ninjas outside.
Hakushi looked up, watching the white whale dive toward him, his expression remaining calm.
The weightless Shadow Blade, like a jet-black flash, sliced across the white whale's head. The black line continued to extend from the white whale's head to its tail, showing no sign of stopping.